The Heart Of A Child
by Chalcedony Rivers
Summary: Two years after the vanishing of Melchior Gabor, Thea decides she needs somebody a little different to set her attentions on. However, her choice is more than a little taken with somebody else...
1. Chapter 1

**Note-Oh my God. I actually wrote something! It's nice to be back!**** Just to let anyone who is interested know, I am planning two Rent/Spring Awakening crossovers, so look out for those. I would also like to give some credit to the amazing **Demactica **for her support and general, all-around awesome-ness. **

"I don't think I love Melchior Gabor that much now"

Anna spluttered, and looked up from her daisy chain, and on her left, Martha was doing the same. Thea just sat, coolly, and carried on threading the small flowers, not noticing the looks her friends were giving her. Then she looked up, and her gaze flickered to each of the agog girls, and she frowned.

"What?"

"W-what did you just say?" Anna choked out.

Thea rolled her eyes. "Oh, there's no need to be sound so shocked!"

The girls were silent as the smaller girl went back to her daisy chain, their eyes as wide as saucers and their mouths wide open. The field that sat a little way from the church was silent. It was a bright summer's day, and the grass was rich with its adornment of flowers in all their radiant colours. The girls were sitting in the far-right corner, where the fence jutted inwards, cutting them off from the patches of woodland behind them where the stream was. Of course, it was very easy to just clamber over the fence, as they had done so often in their childhood, but now there was no need to. After all, there was no more Melchior Gabor to go hunting for.

"Thea…" Anna ventured gently, knowing that the slightest remark that Thea found to be insulting could set her friend off. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious!" Thea said casually, concentrating on slicing a hole in the daisy stem with her thumbnail.

"But you've loved Melchior Gabor since you were nine!" Martha protested.

"I know. But I don't anymore. It's really quite simple"

Anna and Martha shared a glance, but went silent. They both knew Thea was rather hot-headed; any information she didn't willingly give over they would not be able to pry out of her. Her stubbornness and quick temper would only end with her storming off, as they knew from previous experience. In times gone by, Wendla had been the only one who had been able to go after her, and calm her down with soothing words and funny jokes. Sometimes it seemed that, since Wendla had died, Thea had been even quicker to anger, and even more sullen in her moods. Still, it was hardly surprising. Ever since Ilse had up and left, two girls had been best friends, as thick as thieves, and Wendla's death had hit Thea the hardest. If they wanted information, she would have to give it up. So all three girls put their heads down, and focused on the flowers.

After a while, Thea sighed irritably.

"Well, if you absolutely must know, I do have my reasons" she snapped. Anna sighed inwardly. Somehow, the youngest girl still managed to make it their fault. But she still put on a smile that she hoped seemed kind and encouraging, and she looked up. Thea glared at her, but her face was relaxing, and her shoulders slumped.

"Well, it's just…he's such a radical"

Martha face creased in a frown of such magnified confusion that Anna would have burst out laughing had she not known that her own face was in exactly the same shape. Thea groaned, and threw her chain to the floor.

"Oh, this is useless; I knew you wouldn't understand!" she cried. Of course, Anna thought. Because even though she and Martha are two years older, they would not, could not understand anything that Thea is going through. How ridiculous…

"We're sorry, Thea" Martha said softly, noticing the flash in Anna's eyes. "It's just that Melchior Gabor being a radical was the reason you favoured him for so long"

"Yes, I know!" Thea said impatiently. "But, he was a little _too _radical, wasn't he? He spent so much time wound up in his own mind that he didn't see what was in front of his own nose. And so he ended up in a reformatory. And who knows where he is now? He would make such a _useless _husband. I've decided that I need somebody…sweeter. Kinder. Calmer. Someone who knows how to cherish and look after people" Her eyes had gone dreamy now. "Someone who would take my hand and show me how to love. Someone who would stay with me forever. Wouldn't that be just divine?"

Anna refrained from telling Thea that love like that only existed in stories. Instead, she bit her tongue, smiled, and nodded. For a moment, anyhow, they'd got their old Thea back. And they were a little short with her, nowadays. She was still young. She was still allowed to dream innocent dreams.

"That would be nice, Thay" Martha murmured. Thea blushed, and smiled to herself.

"Oh, wouldn't it?" she said, taking up her chain again. "Can't you just imagine it? Yes, that's who I need. I need…I need someone like…him!"

Her fist flew out in a strong point towards the edge of the church, where a figure was walking along, blind to the activity in the field. Anna and Martha followed their friend's outstretched finger, and, for the second time that day, their mouths fell open. The figure looked at them, and waved a small greeting as Thea quickly dropped her hand back into her lap. Then he turned, and carried on up the road. Three pairs of eyes watched him walking until he was out of distance, and then turned to the blushing girl.

"Ernst Robel?" Anna and Martha chorused.


	2. Chapter 2

**Note-****Ok, so the first chapter was short, but still. There is a severe lacking of Thea on this site, and she's actually my favourite (female) character, simply because she epitomises quite a lot of girls in modern society. That and because she's small and hilarious. And speaking of, are any British fans watching "Misfits" on Thursday? Iwan Rhoen will be amazing! Enjoy!  
**

"Ernst Robel?" Anna and Martha chorused.

Thea nodded slowly, watching the young man's slight, sprightly figure turn the corner to the vineyard and vanish.

"Yes…" she murmured. "I mean, why not?"

By this point, Anna was close to choking on her own tongue. Martha managed to regain her composure first

"Thea, are you serious?" she said gently. "I mean, Ernst is a lovely boy, but don't you feel that there's something a little odd about him?" This question was not just addressed to Thea, but to all of them. It was addressed to the wind, and the wind did not reply. A heavy, compressing silence fell on the girls. Naturally, Thea spoke first.

"Of course not! He's just quiet…thoughtful. It's not a bad thing"

Anna and Martha did not exchange glances, for their friend would have immediately seen it. Instead, their serious eyes waited, blue and brown, silent ridicule and soft query.

"Yes…" Thea mused. "He is, isn't he? Quiet and thoughtful. I mean, he is friends with all the boys, even that ghastly Hanschen Rilow, so he must be friendly and know how to cherish and look after people. Whenever I've spoken to him, he is polite and kind and gentle and lovely and…perfect…"

Anna knew this look, and it only meant one thing. Trouble.

"Thea" she ventured carefully. "You're not seriously thinking of perusing Ernst Robel romantically, are you?"

"Why not?" Thea instantly demanded. "It's not like he has ties to any other girl. Why are you trying to dissuade me so? Do you think I couldn't manage it? I could. I can, and I will make Ernst Robel mine! And besides, I quite think Thea Robel has a rather nice ring to it, don't you?"

* * *

The next morning awakened with dew, reclining on the beds of wild crocuses that ran up to the woods and on the thin spider-webs, as if someone had drawn a paintbrush over the village, covering it with mysticism and delight. Many in the small town would love these hours, and sit up watching the sunlight fall and reflect of the tiny drops. But when the latch of the front door creaked painfully open, and the sole of a boot connected hard with the floor, Thea's face was anything but serene. She was tired, irritated at having to rise so early on a Saturday morning to go and buy bread for Mama, and even more annoyed that Mama had made her wear her tough winter boots, even though it was spring. She grumbled to herself, the wicker basked bashing against her hip as she walked down the pathway that led past the church towards the town centre. As she neared the church, however, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes widened.

There he was; sitting on the small stone wall that ran around the perimeter of the church. He was swinging his legs casually, his eyes firmly planted on a small red book that settled in his lap. Ernst Robel.

Thea felt her heart begin to beat in her chest, and her cheeks soften and glow pink. She began to walk again, but daintily this time. Then she stopped again, and looked up at him.

"Oh!" she said, and his head jerked towards her. "Good morning"

A small smile stretched across his face, a smile that made her innards twist. "Hello! I didn't see you there"

"I didn't expect anyone to be up so early"

"Me neither. I like to come out here when it's so beautiful and quiet like this. It's almost magical, I find, when there's nobody about"

"Oh…" she felt her face redden in embarrassment. "I interrupted you. I'm sorry"

"Not at all" he smiled again, and Thea's breath caught in her throat. "It's Thea, isn't it? We used to play together when we were little, do you remember?"

"Yes!" Thea cried, even though she didn't remember in the slightest.

"Of course" he said, nodding his head. "How have you been?"

"Very well, thank you, and all the better for seeing you here"

Ernst smiled again; that too-wide, slightly awkward grin that curled the edges of his mouth up to his eyes, and Thea felt her stomach flip over like a fish. She pushed her glasses further up her nose, wishing (not for the first time) that her eyes would look big and brown and doe-like without the large, owlish metallic frames.

"What are you reading, Ernst?" she enquired. Ernst glanced down at the red book, as if he hadn't seen it before, and then looked up again.

"Oh, this? Homer" he replied. "Homer's Odyssey"

"Oh…" Thea replied, hoping she looked like she knew what he was talking about.

"I borrowed it off Hanschen. They're such wonderful stories"

"Yes. Hanschen's a good friend of yours, isn't he?" Stay like this, Thea thought to herself. Interested and interesting.

"Yes. I suppose you could say that" Ernst laughed.

"He must be lucky to have a friend like you" she ventured, and Ernst visibly coloured.

"Well…I'm lucky to have good friends as well" he said. "Like you. I cannot believe we haven't spoken in so long when we get along so well! I really like you, Thea"

Thea swallowed. "I…I like you too, Ernst"

"We shall be good friends, you and I" the boy smiled, and Thea felt her heart crash to the floor and shatter into tiny pieces.

"Yes…I have to go now" she mumbled, and quickly pushed past the young man, her quick footsteps carrying her away and away.

The house was small, ramshackle, and many would have called it derelict. The paint was peeling, the wood was rotten and damp, and it often seemed as if the whole building was leaning to its side in pain. It had a feeling of neglect and squalor about it, and although the house was clean enough, it still emitted an ominous feeling. Nobody knew of it except those who were welcome, and so it was the perfect hiding place.

* * *

Anna looked up the house. She wasn't particularly fond of the area; it reeked of sin. Somewhere, a bottle smashed, a cat screeched, and she shivered outwardly. Next to her, Martha was clutching at the basket so tight her knuckles were pale, fighting the urge to turn around. Quickly, Anna reached up to the door, and knocked on it. A few, long seconds passed before movement was heard inside the house, and the door creaked open. The girl who stared back at them looked as if she had only just risen from bed. Her crimson hair was wild and untamed, her eyes ringed with the remnants of sleep, even though it was almost midday, and her face was still pale from old, dried make-up. She was clad in an oversized shirt, which was splattered with colour and stains. For a moment, she looked at the girls without recognition, and Anna felt worry flutter in her breast like a baby bird. Then, finally, the girl's face broke out into a sweet smile.

"Hello!" she exclaimed. Martha breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good morning, Ilse. You were expecting us, weren't you?"

Ilse cocked her head to the side. "Oh. I was, wasn't I? I'm sorry"

"Not at all" Anna said. "We should apologize for waking you"

"Don't worry about it" Ilse shrugged, and motioned for the girls to enter before disappearing into the darkness. Anna took a breath, and followed her.

The interior of the house was almost as bad as the exterior. It was dark, and cold, and there was things thrown all over the floor. Behind her, the door creaked as Martha slowly closed it. Ilse stepped over a box, and led them into a room at the end of the corridor. Anna assumed the room was a kitchen. It was the best-lit room in the house, with a window that looked out onto an overgrown wilderness of garden. There was a large, circular table in the middle, with a few chairs. The table was covered in empty bottles and dirty plates, of which there were more piling up in the sink. Ilse grimaced, and quickly took the bottles off the table, as if hoping they wouldn't be seen. Anna gingerly sat down on one of the flimsy-looking chairs, hoping it wouldn't collapse. Martha followed.

"We brought you some cake, Ilse" she ventured timidly. Anna nodded. "Battenberg"

"Oh, thank you so much" Ilse smiled, and took one of the remaining clean plates from the shelf. She set it on the table, with a knife, and Martha took the cake from the hamper and placed it down. Ilse took the knife, and scored a long cut through the marzipan.

"So, what brings you to my humble abode?" she asked.

"Just to see you, Ilse" Martha replied. "We haven't seen you for so long; not since-" she swallowed, "Melchior's letter. How have you been?"

"I've been great!" Ilse said. She sounded haggard, but neither girl dared to contradict. "Do you like the new painting?"

She pointed to the door, and the girls turned their heads. A canvas leant against the wall, and on it painted a scene. It was unmistakably Ilse. She was leaned against a tree, at night, barely clothed save for a few scraps of rags. Her eyes wide, her red mouth in a perfect O, she looked as if in perfect balance between horror and ecstasy. The trees around her were nightmarishly twisted and deformed. She looked like a doll, and Anna's breath caught in her through. The picture was, frankly, terrifying.

"It's good, isn't it?" Ilse continued. "It's called Fallen Angel"

"It's very good, Ilse…" Anna muttered. She tore her eyes away, and back to her friend.

"So why have you really come?" Ilse asked, sitting down, tearing savagely into a slice of cake. "There's usually a reason. Many wouldn't be seen dead here otherwise"

Martha winced. "We wanted to ask your advice on something"

"Fire away"

"It's about Thea…" Anna began, but was cut off by a long groan from Ilse.

"Oh, God, not Thea again!" Ilse cried. "Every time you come here, it's either "Thea this" or "Thea that"! I'm sick of hearing about her! She is the most insufferable _little girl _I've ever had the misfortune to meet in my life"

"She's becoming erratic" Martha stoically continued, regardless of the outburst. "She's always been a little…eccentric, but recently she's just gone wild"

"The poor girl's distraught" Anna added. "We don't know what to do"

Ilse looked at them levelly. In the harsh light of the morning, she gave the appearance of a cat about to pounce. She was not the girl who had played pirates anymore.

"And why do you think she is so distressed?" she said calmly, dangerously. "Is it something to do with Wendla, perhaps?"

Anna and Martha looked at the floor.

"Thea is acting up because she thinks that poor, pretty Wendla died of anaemia, isn't she? Because you haven't told her the truth. Because you haven't told her that good Wendla Bergmann was with Melchior Gabor's child!"

"She doesn't need to know any of that!" Martha cried. "She's still innocent!"

"And anyway" Anna continued. "Why would any of that have anything to do with the fact that she is hell-bent on planning to snare Ernst Robel?"

For a moment, the kitchen was silent. Then, slowly, Ilse smiled. It was a predatory smile, and Anna shuddered.

"Ernst Robel, did you say?"

"Yes…" Anna said, warily. Suddenly, quickly, Ilse burst of laughing, great, manic peals of laughter that echoed around the room. Her eyes were feral.

"As in, she wants to marry Ernst Robel?"

"Exactly!" Martha cried, obviously as shocked as Anna.

"Oh, my, how priceless!" Ilse cackled. "I know things about Ernst Robel…oh, what fun! Mark my words, after this encounter, Thea will not nearly be as innocent as you two like to believe!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Note-****Sorry it's been a while! I've had far too much going on. But, hey, I'm back now! This chapter is dedicated to the lovely **_**Demactica**_**, my soon-to-be partner-in-Boosh-releated-crime!**

"Thea! Hullo!"

Ignore it, ignore it, ignore it…

"Thea! Hey, wait for me!"

Pay no notice. It's just some stupid boy. He'll go away eventually…

"Thea? Can you hear me? Thea! _Thea_!"

"_What_?"

Thea turned; ready to give whoever it was an ear-bashing. She was certainly not in the best of moods. Her father had just told her off for getting mud on her dress. Well, _obviously_! She'd had to walk through the woods to get back! Stupid adults. Stupid men! Well, apart from one man. Apart from one man who happened to be standing in front of her, looking a little taken aback at her ferocity.

"Ernst!" she choked, her mouth agape. "I'm so sorry! I thought you were…I mean…"

He smiled, and her heart fainted with relief. "That's quite alright. I do pity the poor fool who has enraged you so, however. Care to divulge?"

That was the thing about Ernst, Thea thought, feeling her cheeks go red. He could take such a dull sentence and make it into something clever and lovely and just…_Mmm_!

"Oh, just my father" she said with a giggle. She began to walk, slowly, noticing how he matched her steps. "It's nothing important. But enough about me. How are _you_, Ernst?"

"I am as fine now as I was yesterday"

"Oh! Of course" What a stupid question! Silly girl! "I mean, it's not like you would have come down with something overnight, is it?" But then she would have a chance to look after him, to show her devotion and make him realise that all along…

"I suppose not. But, who knows. It is spring, after all, and this town is known for having bad things happen in springtime. Remember Melchior Gabor?"

Thea coughed awkwardly.

"Yes. Poor boy"

"Not to mention Wendla Bergmann. Were you close to her?"

Thea shifted. This was not a subject she was used to. Her friends never brought it up, fearing, she supposed, of sending her into a hysterical frenzy. Or maybe they thought they were protecting her by helping her not to remember. For a moment, she considered changing the subject – it would be easier. But then she looked up, meeting his deep muddy eyes, and remembered that this was _Ernst_, and she had to tell someone…

"Yes. Yes, we were close" she said. "We were very close. She was my best friend"

"I'm sorry, Thay"

"Don't be. I do miss her, though. All the time. It's something you can't really imagine until you've been there…it's like you losing Hanschen Rilow or somebody"

Ernst gave her a reassuring, if lopsided, smile. Then, he took her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze before letting it drop back to her side. Thea had to mentally slap herself to stop herself from keeling over in a dead faint.

"You'll be fine, Thea. It's a big old world, this we live in, and a funny one at that. But it's a test, and God will show you his gratitude for passing it, even if it's not in a way you expect…" he trailed off, and bit his lip. "But it will happen, eventually. Good things happen to everybody. You'll be fine. I promise you"

Suddenly, Thea remembered who she was talking to, and she let her bottom lip stick out in a pout that she prayed was appealing, and batted her eyelashes at the young man.

"Thank you, Ernst. You're so kind…not like the other boys"

He laughed, abashedly, his cheeks flushing at the compliment and she felt her heart begin to rattle in her chest.

"I wouldn't say that…" he muttered. Oh, modest too. How perfect!

"I would" she replied. "I can't ever talk to any of them – they're always so crass, so callous. But you are very kind to me, and you always say such intelligent things"

"I am not intelligent" he rebuffed playfully. "I like literature, and the arts, but I am the bottom in my class in everything"

"Surely not!"

"It is true. At least…" he stopped. His eyes blinked heavily. "I am now"

Thea didn't say anything. She clasped her hands behind her back, and waited.

"Moritz Steifel…" he mused. "Used to be. Nobody took any notice of it until our exams came up. And then there was that horrible incident, of course…" he took a breath. "Poor fellow. The funny thing was, I was only a few marks above him in Latin, and those few marks made so much difference. Sometimes I think to myself, if only he had got those few marks rather than me, maybe there would be another soul in the world"

"Oh, Ernst" Thea muttered, more for a need to fill the empty ache that suddenly seemed to fill the air than anything else. Ernst turned to her, and smiled.

"But, in a way, it changed so many things" he concluded. "People are so much closer together now. I suppose something as hard-hitting as that makes you realise how precious time is…makes you realise that now is as good a time as any"

"Yes!" Thea cried, and then, realising she was being a little too eager, coughed a more subdued affirmative.

They carried on, now in silence, pondering on very different things. Thea was thinking deeply about what her companion had just said. He was right, of course. Time was a very precious thing. It slipped away too quickly, like sand between your fingers.

"Ernst…" she started, widening her eyes slightly in order to look innocent. Her older sister had taught her all the tricks of the trade. The young man turned to her with a smile.

"Yes?"

"Is there anyone who you…" she swallowed. "Who you might want to…" Third time lucky. "Who you like?"

Ernst furrowed his brows, misunderstanding the question. "Lots of people. I like you and Hanschen and Otto and-"

"I mean…romantically" she ventured again.

"Oh. Oh!" he said, grinning. "That, my dear, is for me to know and for you to find out"

Thea huffed, before realising that it was most un-ladylike and turning it into a genteel cough. "Oh, tell me Ernst, do! Aren't I your friend?"

"Of course you are. But some secrets are meant to be kept"

"And some are meant to be told, so I may now have to tell you mine" Thea took a deep breath in. "Ernst, you have been such a good friend to me recently, and I have found in you someone who I never thought I would find in any man. You are thoughtful, and kind, and trustworthy, and it is for all those reasons that I…I like you"

Ernst laughed. "You are such a sweet girl, Thea. I like you too, very much"

Thea thought her heart would explode from her chest.

"Y-you do?"

"Of course, silly. You are such a dear friend to me. Why, I cherish you as I would a younger sister, had I one"

Thea felt like someone had whacked her in the chest with an iron bar. All the breath had been knocked out of her. Friend? Younger sister? Oh, damn it all…

"Oh, may God damn you to Hell, Ernst Robel, for your total and utter obliviousness!" Thea cried, and then in one fluid motion she leant up and pressed her lips to his. Then she turned, her arm over her face, and began to run down the road towards her home.

***

Anna was collecting bluebells from the woods, and although she had only been picking them for about an hour, her basket was almost full. She was lucky she was so close to the vineyard; the soil was so rich around her that almost every plant grew in abundance. She used to come down here with Ilse and Thea and Martha and Wendla when they were all younger, and the woods were so full of bluebells you couldn't take a step for treading on them – Wendla always used to get so upset if she did. Ilse used to say that the wood was purple, and so they'd spend long purple summers down here, in the old days.

She was near the vineyard now. The hedges that ran round the edge of it were only a few metres in front of her, as was the huge oak tree where the boys used to play their games in. Was it possible to be so nostalgic at seventeen?

"Oh, don't be so silly…"

A voice came from behind the bushed, and Anna looked up, startled. There was someone in the vineyard, and judging from the sentence, it wasn't one but two people. She edged forward carefully, making sure not to tread on any leaves and upset the peace of the forest.

"I am not being silly. How dare you accuse me of being so" came the other voice. A mans. Both men. They were talking gently, in hushed whispers.

"Because you are!" came the first voice. This one was teasing, kinder than the mosquito-whine of the other. "You're being completely irrational about all of this"

"Oh, so when that little saumensch kisses you it's being irrational, is it?" said the second voice, and Anna almost burst out laughing. An over-protective brother, maybe? Or a friend jealous of a lover? Either way, how sweet.

"Are you jealous…?"

"Of course not!"

"Oh, you are. I can see it in your eyes"

The second voice sighed, and came again, quieter, and Anna had to strain to hear it: "You know me too well"

"Yes, I do. Look, there is no need to act to envious about this. It means nothing, I promise you. Anyway, I knew what she was doing. I tried to put her off, you know"

"You sneaky devil!" came the second voice, suddenly approving and surprised. "You really knew all along? And here I am, considering you so innocent and naïve"

"Exactly. So, you see, it means nothing. It's you, it's always been you"

"It's always been you, too"

"No it hasn't! I see the looks you give Mahlor! Oh, Bobby, let me carry your books for you. Oh, Bobby, you are _so_ charming and hilarious!" the first voice mocked.

"Oh, shut up. A pretty face is all. Nothing compared to you"

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I do. I love you, Ernst"

Ernst? Anna started. Ernst Robel? She took a few more hesitant steps towards the hedges, standing on tiptoe just in time to see Hanschen Rilow stoop down and place a very non-platonic kiss onto Ernst Robel's lips. Ernst let out a low sound, snaking his arms around Hanschen's neck. Suddenly, there was a snap, and both boys drew apart quickly, masks of shock plastered to their faces.

"Who goes there?" Hanschen called, but Anna was already running off back through the forest, leaving the basket of bluebells upturned on the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note-****It's been too long! I'm so sorry! Hopefully this will pacify?**

"Martha! Martha!"

Martha turned around, slowly, to see a blur of red and gold charging down the road towards her. She frowned, squinting against the dying sunlight, a posy of roses clutched tightly in her fist. She shielded her hand, but by this time it was too late and she only had time to hear the slap of footsteps on the ground before Anna crashed into her, knocking her off balance. She cried out, swaying on her heels.

"Martha, oh my Lord you will not believe it oh Martha it was horrendous and what are we going to do you will never believe me…" Anna said, speaking at a thousand miles a minute, very Thea-style. Martha frowned, and held up her hand.

"Anna, I cannot understand a word you are saying. Start from the beginning"

Anna sucked in a deep breath of air, and it was then that Martha saw her friend's face; her cheeks blotchy red from nerves and excitement, but she was pale and shaking.

"Anna, what happened to you?"

"Oh, Martha" Anna wailed, and hugged the smaller girl tightly. "I am so sorry; my nerves are in such a terrible state…"

"Its fine" the dark-haired girl soothed, patting Anna's back awkwardly, unused to so much physical contact. "I was just going to Ilse's, but if you need me I'm sure she'll understand my absence…"

There was a suddenly sharp gleam in Anna's woeful eyes that made her stop.

"Ilse…" Anna muttered. "Yes. Of course. She'll know what to do!"

"Anna, what in the world-"

"I've no time to clarify" said the blonde girl, grabbing onto Martha's arm. "But we have to get to Ilse's, right away. I'll explain as soon as we get there"

And with that, she slid her arm around Martha's, and dragged her off along the pathway that led through the woods and to Priapia.

* * *

Still clutching onto Martha's wrist, Anna pounded on the door of the ramshackle house in Priapia, hoping to God that Ilse wouldn't kill her if she punched a hole in the rotten door. Martha squeaked in barely subdued indignation and pain as Anna's fingers tightened on her pale skin in frustration.

"Ilse! Ilse, open up! It's an emergency!" Anna yelled. From behind the pair, a pair of shuttered windows opened, and a man called out to them: "Oi! Keep it calm out there; some of us are trying to paint!"

Anna ignored the man as he retreated into his home, again hitting the door with her clenched fist.

"Ilse! Ilse, please!"

Suddenly, the door swung open to reveal a cross-looking young woman. She looked less ragged than she had done a few days before, clad in a green blouse and men's trousers of the same shade. She took one look at the guests before her, drinking in Anna's unusually rumpled appearance and Martha's slightly petrified one.

"Oh, God…" she muttered, her eyes widening, fearing the worst. It was, after all, a cool spring night. "What happened? Quickly, come inside"

She ushered the girls in, and quickly shut the door. Anna immediately clasped her arms around her friend's skinny neck, and sobbed into her red hair. Ilse stiffened, and looked at Martha with a questioning expression.

"What's going on?" she asked. Martha shrugged helplessly, and rubbed at the red bruising on her wrist from Anna's grip.

"Anna…?" Ilse tried warily. Anna gasped, not loosening her hold.

"Ilse, I'm so sorry but it was awful it really was and I need your help, I am in such a quiver I know it's so unlike me but I am in a state from everything I saw which I shouldn't have seen and I'm sorry to come a-knocking at such a late hour for it is so un-ladylike but I need your help, Ilse, I really do!"

"Alright, Anna. Calm down now…" Ilse soothed, ushering the distraught and wild girl into a chair, Martha following meekly behind. Ilse hurriedly disappeared into her kitchen, and brought back a steaming kettle of tea and three cups, which she placed on the table. She poured one and pressed it into Anna's hands. Anna gratefully accepted, and took a great gulp. Slowly, her breathing steadied, and some colour returned to her cheeks. Smiling kindly, Ilse laid a hand over hers.

"Now, Anina" she said, using a childhood nickname as if she were speaking to one. "What's going on? You know we can't sort it out if you don't tell us, alright?"

Anna took a deep breath. "Well, I was down in the forest about an hour ago. I was picking bluebells, because they look so nice this time of year in a nice glass vase. I was picking near to the hedge – you know, the one that surrounds the vineyard on the hill – near to that oak tree where we used to play. And I heard these people, talking. So I stopped to listen to their conversation because it sounded ever so funny; they kept talking about how one – it was two men, by the way – was jealous of the other's romance. And then one of them said: I love you, Ernst!"

"As in, Ernst Robel?" Martha asked. Anna nodded.

"Yes, yes, exactly! And so I was curious, and I looked…and I saw Ernst Robel kissing H-Hanschen Rilow. On the mouth! Oh, it was so awful, and so I ran away and…oh. I dropped the flowers" her look of fear and disgust quickly became one of sorrow. "And I came across Martha and we ran straight here"

"Oh…" Ilse looked a little pained, but still regained her sympathetic smile. "I see what's happened here"

"But Ilse, they were both boys!" Anna cried, even if her statement was a little obvious. "I mean, we have to, we have to tell someone!"

"No we don't, Anna" Ilse murmured, hauling herself on the arm of the chair and snaking her arms around Anna's broader shoulders. Anna made a noise of protestation, but Ilse quickly quieted her with: "Hush. No, we _don't_. Now, I need you to listen to me, Anina, and I need you to take everything I say very seriously. What Hanschen and Ernst are doing is _not wrong_, alright? No matter what everybody says"

Anna looked up at them, confused. Why were they not crying out like she was? "But…but…it's obscene!"

"No, Anna, no it isn't" Ilse sighed patiently. "Think about it like this. If Ernst was called, say…Ernestine, would it be wrong?"

Anna snuffled. "Well, no, but-"

"And if Hanschen was called Hannelora, would that be wrong?"

"No, but-"

Ilse interrupted her again. "Do you see? The only difference was that their names became feminine. The people don't change. The love certainly doesn't change. The only thing that really changes is society's interpretation of them"

Anna was silenced. Ilse continued: "So it's not obscene. Boys loving boys and girls loving girls are not obscene in any way. Trust me – there are much, much worse things in the world than that" She glanced over at Martha, and an unspoken agreement was shared between them. What Anna didn't know wouldn't harm her, and she definitely didn't need to know about any of that business just yet.

"And that's why you absolutely mustn't tell anybody about this. Because otherwise good and innocent people could end up getting hurt and that just wouldn't do. Do you understand me, Anna?"

There was a pause. Then, slowly, Anna nodded. Ilse smiled; her posture relaxing.

"You knew…" Martha said softly. Ilse nodded.

"Yes. I discovered them together not long after Wendla died, in the forest. I must say, it caught me by surprise, but if you think about it, it sort of…fits"

"Oh, God!" Anna wailed suddenly. The other girls jumped to attention.

"What? What is it?" Martha asked.

Anna looked up at them. "What about Thea?" she asked.

The girls were shocked into a stunned silence, and then they all groaned as the realisation dawned.

"We have to tell her" Anna offered. Ilse shook her head vehemently.

"No, no, we can't do that" she firmly replied. "I promised them that I would never tell anybody about this. You finding out was just chance"

"Well, we can't not tell her" Anna said. "She kissed him earlier; when she finds out she'll be distraught. What if she tells someone? Oh, what a mess!"

"Damn that silly girl to Hell!" Ilse muttered in irritation.

"There must be another way, surely" Martha murmured. "If we can't tell her, and we can't keep it a secret, what if she were to find out on her own?"

There was a moment of pause as Martha's words rang true. Ilse turned her head slowly, and their eyes met. "You know, Martha, you may be right. If we were to push her, just a little, then we could stop her from telling everybody"

"How would we do that?" Anna enquired.

"Easily" Ilse said, her elfin grin returning. "In fact, I think I have an idea…"

* * *

_My dear Thea,_

_I was surprised by your actions this morning, but I cannot say I was shocked beyond repair. You see, I have thought long and hard about you, and I have come to the conclusion that is something you may need to know if our relationship is to continue. I would like to request that you make an appearance at the vineyard, at around, say, five tomorrow evening under the oak tree. I shall wait your arrival there. Tell nobody of our meeting – I feel it may not be as appreciated to them as it is to us._

_Yours fondly,_

_Ernst x_

Thea grinned, and hugged the letter to her chest, barely containing the excitement which was spilling from her heart. She could not wait for tomorrow at five, and she would make sure that she looked her absolute best. She would make sure that she made him happy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note**** – I am so sorry. Even Hanschen's Postcard's offer of Iwan Rhoen signed sunglasses didn't force me to update. Still, life is slowing down now, so who knows? Welcome to the final (albeit short) chapter, and please**** enjoy!**

Thea had decided that red was definitely a good colour on her. She smiled, and pouted, and smacked her lips together to make sure that it wouldn't smudge. She didn't have too much experience with lipsticks, admittedly, but the shade was rosy rather than crimson, so she didn't feel too uncomfortable. She stood in front of the full-length looking-glass in her mother's vanity room, and eyed herself from every angle critically. She'd added some kohl to around her eyes, and brushed out her hair – it looked lovely and curly now it was out of the tight braids her mother insisted she wore. She eyed herself up and down with a critical eye. Yes, the lighter blue dress was lovely, even if it was one of her Sunday best (after all, what Mama didn't know wouldn't hurt her), and she looked…nice. Almost beautiful in fact. Thea was so shocked that she was caught slightly off guard. She didn't know she could ever look this nice. Pity about the glasses, but ah well.

Quietly, and hoping that her Mama wouldn't hear her, Thea placed the lipstick back on it's rightful place on the dresser, and tiptoed out of the room and down the stairs. Quietly, she slipped on a pair of ballet pumps and slipped out the door, silent as a waif. She grinned to herself, and clutched tighter onto the slip of paper in her hand. Then she began to skip down the garden path and through the gate towards the vineyard.

* * *

"Is that her?"

"What? Who are you pointing at?"

"Her! Her, over by the stream"

"Anna, that's Bobby Mahler!"

"No! Really? He looks awfully feminine, doesn't he?"

"Well, yes but…Martha, please take your foot off my ankle"

"Sorry!"

"For God's sake…" Ilse grumbled, turning away from the hedge and sitting down heavily, ignoring the brown stain that the mud and foliage would later leave on her trousers. "It's almost five; where is she?"

"Maybe she got stopped on the way" Martha pondered, peeping through the hole in the hedge that she had enlarged with her fingers.

"More likely she's taking hours making herself look nice" Ilse muttered sarcastically. "As if that's the only thing men notice in young women nowadays"

"Oh, leave her alone" Anna sighed. "We all grew up far too fast. Let her be young"

Ilse was silenced. A breeze ruffled her hair and a crisp burnt leaf danced past her cheek.

"Look! Look, there – I think I see her!" Martha burst out suddenly, remaining as quiet as possible. Anna followed her gaze. "There. Just past the beech trees"

"Yes! That's her alright"

"Finally…" Ilse mumbled. She was ignored.

"Oh, Lord, she's got the blue dress out!"

"Really? I always thought the green suited her better"

"Either way she looks lovely. Poor thing"

"Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"We don't have a choice, Martha. It's done now"

Ilse scrambled to her knees, and looked through the hedge towards the oak: "And where on Earth is Hanschen? Ernst's been here for at least ten minutes" She cast towards Ernst, who was pleasantly reading a book, hunched up beneath the dappled sunlight. "If he doesn't come right now this all goes down the sink. Ridiculous…"

* * *

Thea's step and heartbeat quickened when she caught sight of the small boy hunched up below the trees. Her lips stretched and tautened in a small smile. He was waiting for her! How long had he been here, though? Did she look too eager? She smoothed down the front of her dress, and felt the letter in his hands in all its ink stained glory. This was it. Something was going to come of this, she knew. Something good, something really good finally coming from this village of sins.

Although, who was that coming up over the other side of the hill? She squinted and gazed up through the thick lens of her glasses as a figure came up just as she did, mirroring her movements. A tall figure, lean, with very blonde hair…

Oh dear Lord.

How dare Hanschen Rilow steal her moment?

She slowed as the fey boy approached Ernst. God damn him! Couldn't he see that they were about to begin an important moment? Apparently not, as Rilow said something, and then, the nerve, sat down beside the other boy. Her pace slowed, and she clenched her first in frustration. This was not a moment for friendly chats. Still, she and Ernst needed to be alone, so she'd just have to wait until he left.

* * *

"Good, good, they're sitting down!"

"Anna, we can see. You don't need to commentate on everything"

Anna sat back, put out. "I'm just anxious, Ilse"

"She's stopped moving" Martha muttered. "Should she have done that?"

Three pairs of eyes peeked out through the shrubbery. "I don't think so"

"Do you think she can still see them?"

"Well, we'd better hope so. God, we're taking such a risk with this as it is; why does she need to complicate it by not following the plan?"

"In all fairness, Ilse, she doesn't know what the plan is"

"What on Earth is Hanschen saying?" Martha squirmed.

"I don't know, but it looks like Ernst is enjoying it"

"Ew…"

"I didn't need to see that on anybody, let alone them!"

"Did you two see Melchior's essay as well then?"

"No – after Wendla died Mama decided to tell us everything. I couldn't sleep for a week!" Anna shuddered.

"Ah"

"Oh, here we go. Good luck, Thea…"

* * *

Thea started to move again. Enough was enough. If Ernst wasn't going to tell his friend to shift, then she would have to do it. It looked as if Hanschen was planning to stay for a while. He had his arm around Ernst's shoulders, and their faces were drawing closer…

Oh God.

* * *

"There it is" Anna sighed, watching as Thea turned and fled back down the hill. "She's seen. It's over"

"Thank God for that" Ilse replied, stretching out lazily. "Maybe now she'll learn not to fall for people so easily"

"Will you back off?" Martha suddenly snapped, her face twitching into a reprimanding frown. Ilse looked stunned. "It's horrible enough that she has to go through all this without you taunting her for it behind her back all the time. What do you have against her, anyway? She has never done anything to you except help Wendla out when you vanished. Was that it? Were you jealous? Well, you can stop being childish and leave her be now, because Wendla is _dead _and it's over. Just because we grew up, it doesn't mean she has to, and you of all people, Ilse Neumann, you should know that"

There was a shocked silence. Ilse shot Martha a look of barely disguised contempt, and then stood up and sauntered off through the trees. Anna glanced at Martha, who was slightly flushed, her breathing erratic.

"Martha…" she said slowly.

"It's alright, Anna" Martha replied quickly, giving her friend a smile. "She needed to be told" she laughed shakily. "I should do that more often"

Anna giggled, and took her friend's hand, hauling her upright and itching a midge bite on her arm. "Come on. Let's go and sort this out"

The two girls walked quickly through the woods, pushing branches and foliage from their faces, heading towards where they knew their friend would be sitting. Sure enough, when they emerged from the woods to the field, there she was, sitting amongst the daisies. She was tugging them out of the ground and throwing them around her. Anna and Martha glanced at each other, and made their way over. Thea looked up at them as they approached. Her eyes were red.

"Hello, Thea. Oh! Are you alright?" Anna said, sitting down beside her friend. Martha was silent, but put her arms around the little girl's shoulders and drew her into a comforting hug.

Thea was quiet for a moment. Then she said: "I don't think I love Ernst Robel that much now"

Anna faked a shocked face. "Really? Why?"

Thea pondered her answer for a moment. Then she shook her head. She wouldn't tell them. This town…this town of sins and sinners. But were they? Maybe they were just human. It wasn't her place to tell. She wasn't a child anymore.

"Well, it's just…he's such an innocent"

Anna suppressed a laugh. Thea smiled gratefully at her friends.

"He's a little too innocent, isn't he? He just doesn't see things that are right in front of him. God knows where he'll end up. He'd make such a _useless_ husband. I've decided that I need someone…stronger. More down-to-Earth. Someone who maybe wouldn't be too romantic, but I could sacrifice that for stability. Wouldn't that be just divine?"

Anna and Martha smiled at Thea.

"That would be nice, Thay" Anna said. Thea nodded and wiped at her eyes.

"It would, wouldn't it?" she said. Suddenly her eyes flickered and her nose crinkled as she caught sight of something over the river. "I need someone like him!"

Anna and Martha followed her point through the meadow and over the stream to where Otto Lammermier was walking with his mother. Anna caught Martha's eye and sighed.

"Oh, dear Lord…"


End file.
